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Riley is on daily prednisone and takes Denamarin to protect her liver. I believe though that it is only available with a prescription for your vet. So far so good for us - she gets her liver enzymes checked whenever she has a neurologist appt which is about every four months.

I think that milk thistle and dandelion root are supposed to be good for the liver. I bought some and made a tea out of it for my dogs and cats when they were on certain meds...

My mam mentioned milk thistle we have some at home its in liquid form and you put a few drops into water, I am going to research it a bit more before I put it into the dogs water. for your input!

Riley is on daily prednisone and takes Denamarin to protect her liver. I believe though that it is only available with a prescription for your vet. So far so good for us - she gets her liver enzymes checked whenever she has a neurologist appt which is about every four months.

Just wondering what meds Riley is on, I presume they are for SM as you mentioned her liver enzymes are checked by a neurologist maybe it's a differing neurological disorder though, I'm just guessing.

Yes, Riley does have SM and is on 5 mg prednisone a day. She had gabapentin and prednisone before her decompression surgery last year, but was taken off the gabapentin about 3 months post-op because it didn't seem to make any difference. She was then on a bunch of different medications as we tried to resolve her lingering imbalance issues. Prednisone is the only one that has worked for her. Prednisone and Denamarin are her only meds right now. Her Denamarin is S-Adenosylmethionine (90 mg) and Silybin A+B (9 mg).

What with Bailey and Holly both being on daily meds it got me thinking of the effects on their livers. Is there any supplements I could be giving them to aid their liver activity?

The best thing to do is to get bloods done every few months and include bile acid testing - pre and post a high protein, high fat meal! This monitors liver function so your vet can spot if there is any impact on the liver. Symptoms are things like small appetite, head pressing, staring, tired, bit cranky, gastro probs, urinary probs (both secondary to liver disease). Be careful where you get milk thistle as a lot have alcohol which would not help. The one we use is Hepto Support, itís very expensive http://www.rxvitamins.com/pet/index....products_id=12

My dog has liver disease and he needs a purely prescription veggie diet, treats are natural yogurt, apple bits and egg whites. His protein levels and fat in his diet has to be monitored and measured per day. If the liver is comprised it cannot process high protein and high fat, especially meat. Bacteria, ammonia and toxins get to his brain because his liver is not functioning properly. When meat is broken down it creates even more ammonia. Feeding six small meals per day reduce the workload on the liver. He gets medication, supplements, probiotics 13 times per day which includes antibiotics to get rid of the bacteria, lactulose to bind the ammonia, zentonil tablets to break down the food a bit, vitamin E, zinc, VSL-3 and his heptosupport.

I would feed no high fat or meat treats and make sure your dog is on a really good diet such as the Luaths or Robbies (they also do a liver supplement that may interest you) and feed a number of small meals per day. Speak to your vet with regards to supplements and make sure you get regular bile acid test done. Let your vet know your concerns. If liver disease sets in, it is usually medical and diet management for life. My little man just turned 3 and its hard to see him not being able to eat treats and have his favourite food and to be getting tablets put down his throat all day. But on the flip side he is doing so well and has a Ďnormalí life now J
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Wow Cavcross thanks for all of the info, sounds like your poor little fella is very well looked after

Bailey's liver fuctions are checked every 6 months along with his phenobarb levels. Holly's have not been checked yet as she has only been on metacalm for a couple of months. what I'm looking for is just a simple supplement to maintain the health of their livers. I will mention it to my vet the next time I'm in and see if there's anything she can reccommend

As to milk thistle.....Jake had bloodwork done before his dental in February and came back with elevated liver enzymes. At the advice of Dr. Dodds I did start him on milk thistle. I bought mine from Puritan's Pride vitamins. His levels returned to normal and I no longer give it.

No problem I've spent months researching this topic so if anyone ever has any concerns on the liver front feel free to ask and I can try and point you in the right direction - at one stage I was reading research papers, manuals, vet documents, learning to read blood test results and what the implications etc where for 2/3 hours per night up to 5 nights a week (Slightly OCD Pet Parent but when Jodie was dog aggressive, I ended up studying Canine Behaviour for three years in the UK and changing my whole life and career because of her so I suppose at least I didn't go off and study to be a vet for 7 years hahaha Like everyone else I would do ANYTHING for my dogs to ensure they have a happy, healthy and stressfree life with me